Sparks
by fakeditfromthewordgo
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a happy couple named James and Lily. But although the start came long before the end, nothing really began until halfway through the story, because he was arrogant and she was fiery; for he was James, and she was Lily.


**Disclaimer: **Copyright J.K.R.

**A/N: **Okay. Finally, a full-length, Marauder-era story. I can't even begin with the amount of planning that's gone into this, so I really hope it turns out okay. Expect music-themed chapter names, really.

_'Hello Goodbye'_

**or**

_'The Town's Been Talkin''_

"Lily, please, I-"

"Sev, it's _over,_" the redhead fixed him with a steely glare, despite her exaggerated tone: she was supposed to have met Marley straight after Transfiguration, but Severus had cornered her, and now there was no way out. "Just let me go."

"Not until you _understand!" _His voice was desperate – he knew he was about to lose her, and he knew he couldn't handle that. Not then, not ever. "You have to know, I _never_ meant to say it, I would never-"

"Okay," Lily replied, deadly calm. "That's like saying it's not murder, it's just manslaughter. Sev, I don't _care. _I don't have time for this."

But he still refused to move, eyes closing momentarily, trying to regain his composure. He had a horrible urge to scream in her face, but he knew he couldn't, it would just make things that much worse. But what could he do when the only girl he'd ever loved was stood right in front of him, trying to tell him she wanted to act like they never knew each other?

"Please, just... just listen to me."

Lily cocked her head to the left. "Sev, I've been listening to you for years. I was listening earlier, when you called me a _Mud-_"

Sev winced, cutting her off. "Don't say it."

Lily's eyes widened in disbelief. "Don't say what, Mudblood? You didn't seem to have any qualms about saying it earlier, did you? It's what I am, isn't it? A Mudblood."

"No, you're so much more than that, Lily, I'm so-"

"You're so what, Sev?" She looked at him, voice soft. "Sorry?" He nodded mutely, and she sighed, shaking her head. "It's too late." _It's years too late. _"Just let me go."

Severus couldn't comprehend. Why? Why was this happening? It wasn't _his _fault. "Oh, so now you're just going to crawl back to that James Potter?"

Lily's eyes narrowed. "Potter has absolutely no place in this conversation."

"How are you so _blind-"_

"Severus," she tested out the three-syllables – they felt alien on her tongue, but she knew she could become used to it. Maybe even_ Snape._ But she knew she was kidding herself. "James Potter has nothing to do with this. He's nothing to me." Just an arrogant prat who needed to learn when to back down.

Severus's lips tightened into a thin line. "_It's all his fault!"_

"Just leave me alone, I don't want to see you any more."

"Don't do this, Lily," he was back to begging, but Lily was ignoring him.

Behind him stood a tall, gangly girl with long dark hair and raised eyebrows. Marlene McKinnon, her very best mate, who, from the looks of things, was about to give Severus hell. It wasn't like she'd ever liked him. And, for once, Lily was just going to stand there, and watch him get exactly what he was asking for.

"I see it's returned to Lily, eh, Snape?" And she didn't disappoint. Severus visibly wilted at the sound of her voice. "As opposed to... well, I don't think such language is really _acceptable_. But then you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Normally Lily would drop in a light _'Marley,' _here, a warning... this time, she was just grateful that Marlene would always be on her side.

"Well, as much as I just hate to cut your little tête-à-tête short..." Marlene pretended to check her watch. "Lil and I really must be going. Meeting the Marauders, you know, Potter and them." It was a low blow, and Severus took it hard. Marlene had known exactly what the effects would be, however, and wasn't fazed at all as she grabbed Lily by the hand, pulling her out of the corner Snape had backed her into.

Halfway down the corridor, she turned back. "Oh, and Snape? Do us all a favour, and wash your hair." _Or just die. _

Once they really were out of earshot, Lily let out a massive sigh of relief. "Merlin, I love you."

Marlene just rolled her eyes, linking the shorter witch's arm as they walked. "You're too nice for your own good. I'd have just hexed the hell out of him."

"And, as a prefect, I'd have-"

"Taken away my cookie and told me to do better next time."

"_Marley."_

She laughed, grinning. "Oh, come on. You're honestly telling me that if I went back, and sent a good ol' Jelly Legs jinx at that twat, you'd suspend me?"

"But you're not going to," Lily said firmly.

"But I _could," _Marlene's voice was filled with such longing that Lily couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Come on," was all she said, "Alice'll be waiting."

"Please," Marlene muttered, "she's with Prince Charming." But she didn't protest when Lily started walking faster, and soon enough they were sinking into seats opposite Sirius Black and James Potter, next to Alice Griffiths, who, sure enough, was laughing with her boyfriend of two years, Frank Longbottom.

"McKinnon, Evans," Sirius greeted them. "Where've you bints been?" It took five years of knowing the prat to realise that he didn't, in fact, mean the nickname offensively: it was just his own, personal way of referring to more than one girl.

Lily sent Marlene a 'do-_not_-tell-them' look. Naturally, she completely ignored it: "Severus Snape."

James perked up then. "What's the prick done now?"

"Nothing," Lily said, just as Marlene said, "Everything." The girls exchanged a hard look, before Marlene finally backed down. "Oh, fine. Tell them if you want to."

"That's not fair!" Lily protested. "They won't let the bloody subject go now!"

Marlene grinned irritatingly. "Well, that's _their _problem."

"I'm sorry," Sirius said, "but did I just hear the word _problem _used to refer to _me?_" He winked, and Alice kicked him under the table, much to Marlene's amusement.

"Evans," James said suddenly, calling Lily's attention away from Sirius, Alice and Marlene, who were messing around and bantering. "He's no good for you."

"I'm not stupid, Potter," she replied smoothly. "Unlike some people I could mention." Her eyes were dark, narrowed.

"You could do better," he said, ploughing on bluntly. "Like me. There's an idea. Go out with me, eh, Evans? Piss the prick off a bit." He abruptly lightened the intensity of the conversation, but it wasn't the first time Lily'd seen the angry side of him – Severus seemed to have a talent for drawing it out in Potter.

Lily remained totally calm, not missing a beat. "Potter, if you and Severus were the very last people on Earth, and whoever I didn't choose would die, believe me, I would walk away and catch a rocket to the moon."

James shrugged like the words didn't mean a thing, when really, he'd be analysing them for hours later. "My death will become a national holiday, so everyone'll love me anyway."

"Everyone's dead, you prat."

"Still. It's impossible not to love me."

"It's very possible," Lily countered.

"Oh, you care," he said confidently. "You're just in denial."

At that moment in time, if there was one thing in the world Lily Marie Evans most definitely was _not,_ it was in denial.

And she proceeded to tell James Potter that quite clearly.

"You're even in denial about being in denial!" he exclaimed, pretending to be surprised.

Lily's eyes narrowed further. "Honestly, do you ever shut up?"

"Eh. McKinnon loves me."

At the sound of her name, Marlene pulled away from the conversation with Alice and Sirius, taking in Lily's stony glare and James's arrogant smile and chalking up the situation immediately: "Do stop flirting, you two. Snogging's not very healthy right before dinner."

Lily's glare deepened. "_Marlene._"

"Okay, fine," Marlene held her hands up in surrender. "_James,_ stop _attempting_ to flirt. Lil, hex him already."

Lily couldn't help but laugh, despite elbowing Marlene in the side. She fell into conversation with everyone else easily, completely ignoring James _Bloody _Potter, even as some girl kissed him on the cheek, and told him she couldn't wait for later. That was just another prime example of why she genuinely couldn't stand the bloke.

**X**

"Hey, Ally," Frank nudged her arm gently with his elbow. "Isn't that your friend? Whatshername?" Alice glanced up, and straight away saw who her boyfriend was referring to – her best friend, Emmeline Vance, was weaving her way through the crowd, her usually pale complexion rosy red, eyes searching the Gryffindor table for the group.

"Em," Alice said, in reply to Frank, before waving her arms in the air. "Em!" She had half a mind to just shoot red sparks up, but the Marauders would be blamed, and they had enough detentions under their belt to last a lifetime. "Over here!"

Thankfully, the blonde caught sight of her, smiling a little as she picked up her pace.

"Hi," she said softly, kicking her bag under the table and brushing her long, blonde hair from her face.

"Where've you been?" Alice asked. "You're twenty odd minutes late! Even _Marley_ got here before you, and we all know what she's like." Marley pulled a face at them both, but didn't bother to deny the insult – it was a well-known fact that if you ever wanted Marlene McKinnon to be on-time, you gave her a time at least an hour before everyone else.

"I got caught up in studying," Em replied, reaching timidly for a sausage after checking no one else was going to grab it. "Lost track of time."

Alice gave her a look, one of those that only best friends understand the unspoken death threat behind. "_Em._"

"What?" She was being deliberately evasive, and Alice knew it.

"You look like Filch when he caught me trying to levitate Mrs Norris into my cauldron last year," Sirius remarked amusedly, having apparently been listening in to the entire conversation.

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Meaning...?"

"Bright red," he clarified, and Alice nodded.

Em subconsciously flipped her hair, so it half-covered her offending cheeks. "I'm fine, honestly... nothing happened..." She visibly squirmed, and Sirius sent Alice a 'is-this-normal?' look, to which she shrugged – 'just-let-it-go'.

"Actually," Sirius said loudly, now speaking to the whole group, "speaking of Mrs Norris and levitating... I do believe I have work to do."

James, grinning, slapped him a high five. "I'll catch up with you later, mate. We haven't used _petrificus totalus _in a while, though."

"That'll give him a scare," Sirius nodded appreciatively, before standing, ruffling Alice's hair, flicking his wand so Lily's bag went flying, throwing Marlene a charming smile, and sauntering off.

Lily glared after him, suppressing a smile. "He's such a git." As if he'd heard that, a first-year went flying off his chair, and Sirius's shoulders were visibly shaking, even as he walked away.

"Blokes in a word, that," Marlene agreed, grabbing Lily's bag and throwing it at her.

"I resent that," Remus and Peter chimed in at exactly the same time.

"It's okay," Marlene reassured them. "It doesn't apply to you. You're hardly blokes."

Remus looked at Peter, evidently troubled.

"I don't know whether to be offended or not," he explained, and the girls giggled.

Frank and Alice gave some excuse about 'homework they just _had_ to go finish' as they left, and Em soon followed suit, both promising to catch up with the girls in their dorm room later, but still leaving Lily and Marlene with the Marauders, sans Sirius.

"They're off to snog," James remarked as to Frank and Alice, running a hand through his hair lazily. Lily rolled her eyes – you could practically _hear _the pathetic group of Ravenclaw girls watching them swoon. It was ridiculous; he wasn't even that attractive.

"Well, obviously," Marlene snorted.

"Not _all _relationships are constant snogging, Prongs," Remus contradicted.

"Not _all _teenage boys act like old men, Moony," James shot back.

"Harsh," Peter commented, and immediately regretted it as everyone turned on him.

"Not _all _teenage boys act like five year-old girls," James started.

"Not _all _teenage boys are terrified of even touching a broom," Marlene contributed, regretting her choice of words as James snickered. Remus held up his hands, abstaining, and both of them turned to look at Lily, who panicked.

"Um... not _all _blokes named Peter... uh... have blonde hair?" She cursed mentally as James outright laughed, and Marlene facepalmed.

Peter looked more offended at this than either of the others: "It's sandy-brown, _actually_."

"Honestly, Evans," Potter said rudely, "that was _shit."_

Lily had to bite her tongue so as to not reply _so's your face._ Thankfully, she was approached at that very moment by a first-year, asking for directions to Slughorn's room.

"You'd think it was the start of the year, not halfway through," Marlene said conversationally to James, as Remus and Peter left with a brief goodbye.

"Eh," James replied, "first-years are all the same. They're like this until at least third-year. I suspect half the second-years still think they're living in the palace in Disney land."

"Disney land?" It rang a few vague bells in Marlene's head, but nothing massive.

"Muggle place," James explained briefly. "What was going on with Snape earlier?"

Marlene shrugged noncommitally. "He got pissed, 'cos Lil's done with him."

"Took her long enough."

"It's _Lily,_ what did you expect?" Marlene grinned.

James laughed: "I wouldn't know." Marlene caught the words left hanging unsaid: _but I wish I did. _Out of the corner of her eye, she noted some Hufflepuff girl, staring disgustingly obviously at James, shoot daggers at Marlene.

"She sees the best in everyone," Marlene defended her best friend, just a little.

"Not me," James pointed out. "Which is outright ridiculous, considering who I am." The sad thing was that the fact that he was not, in the slightest, being sarcastic, would always be one of the reasons why Lily outright hated him. It wasn't exactly Marlene's favourite quality of his, either, his arrogance.

"You have no good points, Potter, let's be real here," Marlene joked, getting more and more annoyed as the Hufflepuff girl – Rosie Alexa, she remebered - started flicking her hair around in a vain attempt to get James to notice her, even when he had his back to her.

"No need to be hurtful, McKinnon," James mocked, one hand on his hand. "I'm rather good at catching balls." The double entendre wasn't lost on Marlene, who snorted loudly.

"So charming," she remarked.

"I do try," replied James, with an easy wink.

When stood up, and started to mess around with the length of her robes, all the while with narrowed eyes, Marlene lost it.

"Oy, _Alexa,_" she yelled across the Ravenclaw table. "Grow up, would you?" The girl blushed madly, especially as James turned to look at her, and ran from the hall.

"You don't beat around the bush, eh, McKinnon," James said appraisingly, taking a big swig of pumpkin juice.

"No," she agreed. "I don't."

**X**

"Ally," Frank nudged her slightly. "I have, uh, homework to do."

Alice caught on immediately, a smile appearing seemingly automatically on her, like it always did when there was anything concerning Frank. "Funny that, me too. I guess we should go make a start on it..." She sighed wistfully.

Frank nodded: "It's a shame, but we can't just leave it. We'll have to leave dinner early."

"Right now," Alice agreed gravely. "Our future careers could depend on these essays alone."

"I'm glad you understand," Frank replied, standing and taking her hand. "We'll see you guys later, we have homework."

Em was the only one who replied with a quiet, 'See you later, Ally. Bye, Frank.' The other girls were busy teasing and chatting with the Marauders.

They walked at a respectable pace through the Hall, before running through corridors, laughing as they emerged out into the grounds. Frank, still grinning, wound an arm around Alice's waist. She leaned into him as their pace slowed to a gentle stroll.

"I love you," she said, and Frank's smiled broadened.

"I love you too," he replied. "But, really, I do have homework."

"Me too," her brow furrowed, and they both considered for a moment. The fact that their grip on one another didn't loosen in the slightest was already indicative of Alice's next statement: "Let's procastinate together."

"Mm," Frank nodded affirmitavely. "I'm sure Flitwick'll understand when I tell him I was busy with my girlfriend." Alice laughed, elbowing him slightly, and he ducked his head. "Wrong choice of words. That _was _meant to be funny, but in an entirely different way..."

Alice just rolled her eyes. "If you say so, dear."

"I do," Frank replied as they side-stepped a pair of sheepish-looking first-years, both of whom looked at Frank's prefect badge with fear. "I probably should've stopped them."

"Probably," Alice agreed, but making no move to let him run after them. "Do you think Em's okay?"

Surprised by the sudden change in subject, Frank glanced at her, checking her face for signs of upset; just worry. "I should think so. We can go talk to Madam Pince, though, if you want. Ask if there were any disruptions involving Em."

At the mention of the cranky, middle-aged librarian's name, Alice shuddered. "I'm not quite _that _worried, yet." She'd had enough bad experiences with Pince to last a lifetime.

Frank laughed. "I'll go, if you want."

Alice couldn't help but smile. He was so lovely, and she told him so with a peck on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Frank asked, looking pleased.

"Nothing," Alice said, eyes shining as she looked up at him. "You're just really lovely."

Frank shook his head bemusedly: his girlfriend was so random sometimes. And he loved her all the more for it.

**X**

_Dear journal, _

_today was quiet, as always... until I was studying in the library just before dinner, at least. I'd just finished Professor McGonagall's assigment when a Hufflepuff boy, a prefect, sat down beside me, and just started talking to me. Like we _knew _each other, or something. _

_I began to think he was mistaking me for someone else – his girlfriend, maybe. He has to have one, he has those movie-star good looks, and, as Alice would say, a bum that belonged to Mr Darcy. Not something I'd have thought personally, of course... Anyway. I really did think he'd mistaken me for someone else, until he really did call me by Emmeline. _

_Not Em – proving I definitely didn't know him – but not Vance, either, proving I definitely didn't _not _know him. It was confusing, and I was horribly awkward, as always. I did manage to catch a glimpse of his name, though, at the top of an essay he was writing: Ewan Retors. He really was dreamy. If only I could string together more than two words, in a coherent and generally normal manner. _

_Scratch that, more than two words in an incoherent and generally ridiculous manner would do._

_I was late to dinner, of course (I would've felt rude ending the conversation first...), and even Sirius Black noticed. I didn't even think he knew my name. After five and a half years together, you'd think anyone would, but Marlene only learned to call me Em last year, and we'd been _living _together for four years. Plus, he is just... well, he's Sirius Black, enough said. _

_I don't know whether to tell Alice about Ewan; she's always fancied herself as a bit of a Cupid, and I know there's absolutely no way anything would happen between Ewan and I. He's just one of _those _guys. God knows the trouble he could create with that smile alone! No, I don't think I will. I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill. _

_Mother always said I was a daydreamer, and that's all I'm doing now. Dreaming up the glint in his eyes as he turned to me... the softness as he said my name... oh, Merlin, I've been reading The Notebook too much. _

_The disadvantages of being a Muggle-born, all the romantic stories! I blame Mother, honestly._

_Em._

**X**

"No, it's definitely root of Mandrake," Marlene said firmly, reaching across to cross out the offending other item on Lily's paper.

"Hey!" Lily slapped her hand away, giggling. "Stick to your own paper!"

"I'm right," Marlene protested, reaching over again, only to be smacked away, with a feeble 'I'll hex you'.

"If you say so."

"So change it!"

"I never said _I _thought you were right."

"I'm always right," Marlene joked.

"No," Lily relied, "you are not."

"At least I don't trip out of the portrait hole on a daily basis," Marlene teased.

Lily huffed. "It's not daily!"

Marlene just laughed, lying back on the sofa so her feet were splayed across the prefect's lap as she wrote. "Whatever you say, shortstack."

"You abuse me."

"Nah, you're just Lily Evans," Marlene replied, scribbling something down. "It's a natural reflex when it comes to you."

"Abuse," Lily insisted. A shadow fell over her, and she glanced up, smiling when she saw it was. "Hello, Remus."

"Lily, Marley," he replied, sitting down cross-legged on the floor beside them, parchment, quill and _O.W.L. Level Astrology Edition 13 _in hand. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Marlene answered for the pair of them. "We were just discussing how shit Lily is in general."

"And how Marlene has a prejudice against girls named Lily," interjected the witch in question.

"Or short gingers."

Remus laughed. "You two abuse each other, quite frankly. You're as bad as Padf—James and Sirius."

Lily groaned. "Don't compare me to _him. _It's quite insulting, really."

"He's not _that _bad," Remus returned.

"Not that bad?" Lily was incredulous. "He's bloody... he's sodding James Potter! That's insult enough."

Marlene raised her hand. "Can I add something?"

"The subject's closed."

Lily was ignored. "I think he's alright."

"Only because you're bloody impossible at the best of times."

"Says the short ginger who trips out of the portrait hole on a daily basis and has an obsession with folding her bed sheets in the morning."

"I just like having the corners turned in," Lily said defensively.

Remus stared at them both, eyes wide, and Marlene giggled. "The deep thoughts of Lily Evans are relatively shocking, hey Lupin?"

"Positively scandalous," he nodded.

"Did I hear scandal?" Sirius Black joined Remus on the floor with an easy wave to the girls, who both rolled their eyes.

"Only in reference to your hair, Black," Lily said dryly.

"Coming from a ginger, I take no offence."

"I prefer auburn."

"I prefer you six feet under, but we don't always get what we want."

"If we did, you'd be under several hundred feet of water."

Marlene and Remus rolled their eyes, letting them sink into their bickering – they always acted as though they hated each other, but their bantering was so familiar to the both of them that it was almost the same a friendly conversation, nowadays. Nothing like the way she was with James, Marlene had noted – with him, Lily was so much colder and unresponsive.

"How's life?" Marlene enquired, in way of initiating a conversation.

Remus glanced up, sending her a weary smile. "I'm breathing. And you?"

"Informative," she commented. "But I'm okay, thanks. Just waiting for the Quidditch season to end."

"Doesn't sound like you," Remus noted. "You're normally trying to extend it. Something wrong?"

"Oh, no," Marlene shook her head. "Just have a lot on my plate."

"'Least of all being mates with the biggest trouble makers in the year," Remus sent her a real smile, and she giggled.

"'Least of all that," she agreed.

"What you talking about?" Sirius asked, evidently done with his fruitless argument with Lily. "Oh, and if anyone was wondering, I really did out-do myself. Sent Mrs Norris in old Myrtle's toilet. Should've heard the bint scream, it was quite brilliant."

Remus and Marlene exchanged a look, before they both burst out laughing. "Oh, nothing."

**X**

Peter Pettigrew was lying on his stomach on top of his bed, swearing mentally as he stared blankly at the three-foot long roll of parchment titled '_Preventation of Poisoning'_, and roughly signed at the bottom, _Peter Pettigrew, Gryffindow 5__th__ Year. _It really was a dratted shame that there was nothing in the middle, and he'd lent Sirius his potions textbook last week. In retrospect, it really was a ridiculous idea in the first place – he'd probably have thrown it at Myrtle by now – but whereas Padfoot liked the word 'borrowed', Peter was leaning quite heavily towards 'stolen'.

"Oy, Wormtail!" The Marauders' dormitory door was slammed heavily shut, James's bored face entering Peter's line of vision. He tried not to groan. "Seen my cloak?"

"No," the other boy replied, "ask Padfoot. I thought you were going on a date?"

James pulled a face, rummaging beneath his bed. "Exactly."

"Who's the girl?"

James shrugged. "Erm, a Hufflepuff I think."

"You don't know her name?" Even for James, this was a little extreme. But Peter couldn't help but be slightly in awe of his laid-back-ness, the easiness with which he waved a hand dismissively at his question.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to marry the bint," he replied, reemerging clutching the translucent cloth, and wearing a triumphant grin. "Be a miracle to get through the whole date, it's a Huff after all."

If Remus had been there, he'd have given James a reproving look, maybe even a clip around the ear. If Sirius had been there, he'd have roared with laughter, given him a hi-five.

Peter just rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to reply, but James cut him to the chase.

"I'm off," he announced, hand already on the door. "I'll be back soon enough. Try and get Remus to do my Charms work, and hex him for me when he won't." Peter raised a hand in farewell, and James was gone just as quickly as he'd arrived.

Peter smiled to himself, thinking how one day, he'd be more like James. Able to get birds with ease.

Until then, however, he sighed, it was back to his essay. Goddamn Lupin for leaving him.

**X**

"And then she started-"

"Sirius," Remus groaned loudly. "_Please._"

"What?" Sirius was unfazed. "Right, so, she-"

"Sirius, _no one _wants to know."

Sirius folded his arms sullenly, leaning back against Marlene's legs. "Fine."

He had been in the middle of avidly recounting his worst date – they were playing 'Never Have I Ever', unfortunately (well, in Sirius' opinion) minus alcohol. Despite that, Sirius was still more than happy to share stories that made the girls and Remus cringe.

"Marley," Lily said quickly, kicking the girl in question slightly as she had her legs draped over her lap. "Your go."

Marlene shot the girl an evil grin. "Never have I ever... written an anonymous love letter to Amos Diggory and had it stuck on Myrtle's door."

Sirius snorted loudly, Remus' eyes widened, and Lily's mouth dropped wide open.

"Arse Amos?" Sirius almost yelled as Lily hid her face in her hands. "Merlin, Evans, even _I_ thought you had better taste than that."

"It was in third year," Lily defended feebly, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "I was young and foolish."

"_Was?_" Sirius was slapped once again, not quite as likely. "Fine, the young I take back."

"And the foolish you can't dispute," Marlene winked. "Your turn."

"No, wait," Sirius held up a hand. "I'm not quite ready to let this go. I sense a further two minutes at least of embarrassing Evans."

Lily flipped her hair so it fully obscured her face and gave them a thumbs-up. "'Kay. Go for it."

"Happily," Sirius returned. "I think everyone wants to insult Evans, no?" A giggling Marlene nodded, while Remus shook his head dissaprovingly. "Everyone? Good."

"Remus!" Lily yelled from behind her makeshift curtain, having only Sirius' remark to go by.

"I didn't say anything!" The party in question replied defensively.

"Anyway," Sirius interrupted. "I'll start. Evans is a ginger, meaning she has no soul; is the height of a house elf and so should be treated as one, and is in desperate denial that my hair isn't completely perfect."

Lily pushed her hair from her face. "I thought you were just going to make fun of me about the Amos thing, not bloody reel off as many insults as you could!"

Sirius grinned. "Au contraire, my dear Evans. I don't remember specifying anything of the sort."

"Fine." Lily shot daggers at him, before thinking for a moment. "Never have I ever... attempted to lecture McGonagall on the benefits of homosexuality."

"For the love of Merlin, I don't understand why people won't let that go!" Sirius yelled mournfully. "I was _drunk!"_

"Mr Black?" McGonagall, quite brilliantly in Lily's opinion, happened to be stepping through the portrait hole at that exact moment in time. "Do try to keep your voice within non-homework-doing-pupil-disrupting levels, won't you?"

Sirius flashed what he had been told (by his reflection) was a charming smile. "Of course, Professor."

McGonagall nodded curtly, not buying it in the slightest, and turned to Lily and Marlene, though the latter she didn't consider particularly reliable. "Have either of you seen Miss Vance since dinner?"

Marlene nodded. "She said she was headed to the dorm. Is everything okay?"

"Quite fine," McGonagall confirmed. "I'm sure she'll indulge the two of you later if you enquire, however, I'm in a hurry." She turned and strode off towards the stairways.

"What was that about?"

Lily started to reply, something about Emmeline being one of the sweetest people she knew, so it couldn't be trouble, but Sirius simply couldn't contain himself.

"Well, it's common knowledge old Minnie's desperately in love with me," he shook his hair arrogantly from his eyes. "She was just looking for an excuse to speak with me."

"Or hex you," Lily muttered under her breath; Marlene giggled. "Speaking of Em, though, I said we'd meet Alice in the dorm at eight, and it's ten to." She stood, brushing her skirt down. "Coming, Marl?" Marlene nodded, mimicking her. "I'll see you later, Remus." She smiled at him, and Remus thanked her for the help with his essay, now finished and neatly followed. "And, Black?"

"Yes, dear Evans?" he mocked.

"I hope you die before we meet again. Preferably in a hole. Ultimately at my hand."

"Love you too."

**X**

**A/N: **(: Yes. It's all going to be jumping from one POV from the other. Although I will be writing the duration of 5th and 6th year, they _will_ be considerably shorter than 7th year. Also, I love writing all the characters, so it's quite loosely centred on LilyxJames – don't worry, though, it is still _centred _on them.(:


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